From Bagpuss to Zebedee: classic British children's TV - Expat Expat Previous slide Next slide 1 of 17 View All Skip Ad Bagpuss was an old, saggy cloth cat – baggy and a bit loose at the seams. But Emily loved him. There were only 13 episodes of Bagpuss ever made, each set in Emily’s shop. The cloth cat came to life after she left, together with various other toys including Gabriel the toad, Madeleine the rag doll, Professor Yaffle the wooden woodpecker and the mice carved on the side of the 'mouse organ’. The series, created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, was first shown in 1974. It will feature in a retrospective of Smallfilms (Firmin and Postgate’s much-loved production company) at the V&A Museum of Childhood. The free exhibition runs from March 19-October 9 2016 Credit: SmallFilms/V&A Yaffle - definition of yaffle by The Free Dictionary Yaffle - definition of yaffle by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Wikipedia .

yaffle (Animals) another name for green woodpecker [C18: imitative of its cry] Translations Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Yockel References in periodicals archive ? Today, from 7pm, various venues An all-day event at the Zanzibar with proceeds to the Spider Project will feature music from Only Child, right, The Cheap Thrills, Professor Yaffle, and Shamona. The Accumulator Quiz The original Bagpuss is now kept in the Heritage Museum in Emily's home town of Canterbury, Kent, along with the other toys from the series, - Madeleine the ragdoll, Gabriel the toad, pompous professor Yaffle and the mice. Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only.

This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Bagpuss Characters | Mice | Professor Yaffle | Episodes | Merchandise Doctor Who Bagpuss Bagpuss is one of the best-loved children's TV programmes ever and has been repeated many times on television beause of it's popularity. It has now obtained cult-status with, not just kids, but many adults loving this classic children's series. There is an almost endless supply of Bagpuss merchandise, including not just cuddly toys but also mugs, slippers, t-shirts, DVDs and many other items. What Was Bagpuss About? The programme is about a shop, owned by a little girl called Emily. This shop isn't like most shops because it doesn't sell anything. It contains objects that other people have lost and Emily has found. She brings them back to the shop for her cat, Bagpuss, whom she loves dearly. Bagpuss is always in the shop window when Emily brings the object back.

She recites some magic words to him "Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, old fat furry catpuss, wake up and look at this thing that I bring. Wake up, be bright, be golden in light, Bagpuss oh hear what I sing." This prompts the oversized cuddly cat to wake up and yawn. And when Bagpuss wakes up, all his friends also wake up. Professor Yaffle, the woodpecker, comes down to take a look at the thing, then all the other friends take a look too. Bagpuss has a think about what the object could be and tells a story about it. Once the story is told, the mice get the "marvellous, mechanical mouse organ" fired up and sing a song about this object based around Bagpuss's tale. It is cleaned and fixed, then, at the end of the programme, it is put into the shop window in the hope that it's owner will pass by, see the thing that Emily found and be re-united with it. At the end of each program, Bagpuss goes back to sleep followed by all his friends.

Bagpuss Characters These programmes have a bunch of very loveable characters including: Bagpuss Bagpuss, the huge, cuddly, pink and cream-coloured cloth cat is the star of the show. He sleeps on a cushion in Emily's shop window and is the dreamy, sleepy but most-loved character! Bagpuss narrates the story that is told about the found object. Madeleine - The Rag Doll Madeleine is a rag doll who sits in an old wicker chair in the shop window. She behaves like a mother to the rest of the characters. She's sensible and keeps them in order when things look like they're getting a bit excitable and out-of-hand! Professor Yaffle - The WoodPecker Professor Yaffle is the spectacle-wearing woodpecker who is actually a carved wooden bookend. He is always the first to take a look at the object that has been brought in by Emily. Professor Yaffle is very quick to tell the mice how silly their ideas are about what they think the object is. The Mice on the Mouse Organ The six Mice lived on the Mouse Organ and are very excitable, creative and imaginative characters.

They're the ones who are most keen to find out what the object is and to bring it to life. In each episode, they sing a song about the story that Bagpuss has told about the found object. Charlie Mouse is the main mouse and the others are called Jenny Mouse, Janey Mouse, Lizzie Mouse, Eddie Mouse and Willy Mouse. Gabriel - The Toad Gabriel is the banjo-playing toad. He sings and plays his banjo to the song that is played during the programme. Emily - The Shop Owner Emily is the owner of the shop in which the characters live and she is played by the daughter of Peter Firmin who was the illustrator for the TV series. Emily appears in photographs, taken of her on her way to the shop and with her beloved cat, Bagpuss. Bagpuss - The Episodes Surprisingly, there have only ever been 13 episodes of Bagpuss produced and these were made in 1974.

The titles of these episodes are: Ship in a Bottle Bagpuss Professor Yaffle Bagpuss Professor Yaffle 28 Jul 26, 2010, 11:18 AM - Bagpuss Professor Yaffle #1 This makes a change from the normal weapons of hideous death I normally post. Bagpuss was a children's TV series here in the UK in the 1970s and was recently voted the best Children's series EVER! (quite rightly too..) Only 13 episodes were made and they would melt the heart of even the most hardened survivalist nutjob so I urge non-UK folk who have never heard of it to give the DVD a go - it's brilliant! The series (and a few others) was actually knocked up by two blokes in a shed so we can all identify with that. Anyway, one of the charcters in the show was a carved wooden bookend in the shape of a woodpecker called Professor Augustus Barclay Yaffle and here he is in all of his mouse-baiting glory. He is fully articulated just like the original and, unlike most of my shooty-bang creations will impress members of the opposite sex.

Hope you like the change of pace! Bagpuss - The Characters The Characters Emily Although Emily doesn't appear in the stories, except for the introduction, she is a major character. After all, it is Emily that runs the shop, finds things to be repaired, and wakes Bagpuss up so that he can identify and repair the latest thing with his friends. Emily was played by Peter Firmin's daughter, Emily. Bagpuss Bagpuss is a magical cat. When he wakes up, all his friends come to life. He can also make his thoughts visible in bubbles above his head. Despite this, he doesn't play a major part in most of the stories, instead being content to lie on his rug and listen to the songs the others sing as they identify and repair the thing. All in all, he's just an old, saggy cloth cat. Baggy, and a bit loose at the seams. But Emily loved him. Professor Yaffle Professor Yaffle, full name "Augustus Barclay Yaffle", the carved wooden book-end, is the brains of the outfit, or so he'd like to think.

He is very knowledgeable, but a bit proud, and the mice love to play tricks on him to bring him down a peg or two. Despite being a bit aloof, Yaffle can be touched by beauty, as he shows in "The Ballet Shoe", when he dances with the Marvellous Mechanical Prima Ballerina. Yaffle is the most complex of the characters, and moves around more than most, being nailed to the floor with tacks to prevent him falling over. Madeleine Remnant is a rag doll, who sits in a wicker chair. She never moves anywhere, and is happy to be a mother to the mice, tell stories and sing songs with Gabriel. Madeleine only really exists to give a home to the voice of Sandra Kerr. Gabriel Gabriel Croaker (of the "Tea-Time toads") is a banjo-playing toad, who lives on top of the round tin on the shelf. Like Madeleine, Gabriel exists to provide a home for the voice of John Faulkner, who, with Sandra Kerr, produced the music. The Mice The mice are really the major characters, and tend to get involved in everything that goes on.

They like to play tricks on Yaffle, and always like to sing together while they are working. Indeed, they go on strike when they are told to stop singing in "The Ballet Shoe". The pride and joy of the mice is the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ, which plays rolls of music, and projects a picture onto the screen, like a television. There are six mice in the TV series: Charliemouse, who wears a grey checked suit, and appears to be their leader. Eddiemouse, who wears a blue suit with a green jacket. Janiemouse, who wears a pink dress with a red waistcoat. Jenniemouse, who wears a blue dress. Lizziemouse, who wears a blue flowery dress with a blue waistcoat. Williemouse, who wears a flowery top and red trousers. In the books, there are another two mice (they must have been breeding) - Millymouse and Tillymouse, which might help to explain some of the photos where more than six mice are visible (like the Annual and the Cards ).

BBC News | Entertainment | Bagpuss cream of television Friday, January 1, 1999 Published at 16:44 GMT Entertainment Bagpuss cream of television Bagpuss: Still popular since his first appearance in 1974 Bagpuss, the programme which featured a baggy cloth cat, has been voted the all-time favourite in a BBC poll of children's shows. Oliver Postgate, the voice of Bagpuss, demonstrates a yawn More than 40,000 viewers cast their votes by post, phone or email and chose the cuddly pink and yellow striped cat, ahead of shows like The Teletubbies, The Magic Roundabout and Play School. Bagpuss was born in 1974 and was originally shown as part of the Watch With Mother series. Only 13 episodes were made. Created by Smallfilms, which also made Noggin The Nog, Bagpuss told stories of a magical cloth cat who slept in a shop window. Bill and Ben: Intriguing speech patterns Each episode, Emily, the young girl who lived at the shop give the cat an object that she had found.

She would wake up Bagpuss who would then wake his friends - including Professor Yaffle, Gabriel the Toad and the mice from the Mouse Organ - who would identify and repair the item. Every programme ended with the words: "Bagpuss gave a big yawn, and settled down to sleep. And when Bagpuss goes to sleep, all his friends go to sleep too. The mice are ornaments on the Mouse Organ, Gabriel and Madeleine are just dolls. And Professor Yaffle is just a carved wooden book-end in the shape of a woodpecker. Even Bagpuss himself, once he is asleep, is just an old, saggy cloth cat - baggy and a bit loose at the seams. But Emily loved him." 'Place in our hearts' Lorraine Heggessey, Head of BBC Children's Production, explained why the big cuddly cat is still a hit today. "It's always programmes we watched when we were youngest that have a special place in our hearts," she said. The Magic Roundabout: Bought from French TV "Bagpuss is a favourite with today's twenty-somethings and it's great to see that they are just as keen to wallow in nostalgia as the rest of us.

From Bill and Ben to The Teletubbies, the BBC continues its tradition of delighting younger viewers." Bagpuss was declared the winner on BBC1 at 16.05 GMT on Friday during Are You Sitting Comfortably? - a tribute to children's programmes past and present. The stripy cat beat off tough competition to land the prize including: Rhubarb and Custard a wobbly cartoon of a cat and dog embroiled in a battle of wits. Andy Pandy was one of the original Watch With Mother shows. Only 26 episodes were made of the original series, shown between 1953 and 1958, although they were repeated up until 1968. The success of the repeats led to a further 13 being made in colour in 1970. Trumpton was always remembered for Captain Flack's rollcall of firefighters: "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb". The fictional town was the capital of Trumptonshire, with nearby villages Camberwick Green and Chigley having their own separate series. The Magic Roundabout was originally created for pre-school French children.

The show's script was completely re-written by Emma Thompson's dad Eric. Mr Benn lived at 52 Festive Road. He dressed up in a variety of costumes and went off on different adventures. The Herbs featured Sir Basil, Lady Rosemary, Dill the dog who chased his own tail, Bayleaf the gardener and Parsley the lion, who ended up with his own spin-off series. The Clangers were pink woolly creatures who lived on a small blue planet. They survived on blue string pudding and bowls of soup from the Soup Dragon and spoke in a language of musical whistles. "Bagpuss" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes Overview 18 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Wonderful, wonderful nostalgia. from Liverpool, England 24 February 2000 You really won't know anything about this programme unless you're English and either were a child about fifteen years ago, or had children at that time. I was the former, and I have to say that Bagpuss was my favourite TV programme then, and still holds a special place in my heart.

Describing the content is difficult, but basically Bagpuss wakes up every day in the shop he lives in, and he and his friends investigate whatever has been brought to them by Emily, the owner of the shop. Emily finds items that people have lost and puts them in her shop window so that they can be reclaimed. Bagpuss' friends include Gabriel the banjo-playing toad, Madeleine the motherly rag doll, the childish mice on the mouse organ (you have to see it for yourself) and Professor Yaffle, the slightly eccentric uncle-type, who is in fact a wooden book-end woodpecker. Bagpuss as a programme was never patronising to children, and was not afraid to use long words if they were appropriate. I believe it was an essential part of my upbringing, and I would recommend that all parents show Bagpuss to their children. All thirteen episodes are available on a single video, so if you want to keep your kids happy, or saw Bagpuss first time round and feel nostalgic, buy it. Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Is there still magic in kids' TV?

from London, England 30 August 2001 Bagpuss - as with all Smallfilms productions - has aged beautifully, retaining all the charm and magic it had three decades ago. There were only 13 episodes, but it still stands out as a true classic of children's entertainment in the UK. Bagpuss, The Clangers, Noggin The Nog and Ivor The Engine worked because of an immense investment of imagination from creators Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. Their work was truly magical - a blessing that today's TV seems to lack. In 30 years time, will any of today's kids' shows be remembered as fondly? Was the above review useful to you? 12 out of 12 people found the following review useful: The most IMPORTANT... the most BEAUTIFUL... the most MAGICAL... 27 September 2006 ....saggy old kids TV programme in the whole wide world... Yes, it is perfection, moth-eaten, sweet as honey, innocent as a 3-year old's summer Sunday morning in the 70's under a duvet in the living-room. Why do they not make *more* such programmes?

Look to Oliver Postgate's personal website for the answer. Such great care and attention put into such small and delightful things! Animation of this kind can no longer happen, sadly. Where are the songs of the mice? Transmuted to Pokemon babble. Where is Professor Yaffle? Gone! Forever! But we mustn't be glum. Through the magic of television, this tiny gem, glowing a thousand times more brightly than it should be able to, will only gleam stronger and stronger as the generations pass... All we can do is polish it up and put it in the shop window, where perhaps it will be recognised by a passing children's television executive who has lost his childhood... Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: the pink-striped cat and the mouse organ from United Kingdom 7 June 2007 'Bagpuss' was one of the many Postgate-Firmin collaborations which enlivened children's television in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Alongside earlier work such as 'The Pogles', 'The Clangers' and 'Ivor the Engine', 'Bagpuss' adds a sense of surrealism which was wonderfully inventive and just as enjoyable for grown-ups. Children may well enjoy Postgate's narration and voices, and the delightful story lines, but adults will get just as much from admiring the intricacies of the design and the animation. Bagpuss is a large cloth cat with pink stripes who comes to life when little Emily closes down her shop for the night. Accompanied by the little mice inventors and workers 'we will scrub it, we will rub it', and the pompous Professor Yaffel, he has all kinds of adventures. At only a dozen episodes, Bagpuss never outstayed its welcome and has worn its age well. Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Priceless 70s children's educational entertainment from London, England 26 December 2006 Whenever I see these wonderful programmes it takes me back to childhood and watching them.

They really are beautifully done and like the other children's series "Mary Mungo and Midge" wholly educational without over-stretching the attention span of its young audience. And yet they are educational without being patronising. Well informed and informative while entertaining to both the children and the adults who are lucky enough to watch with them. There were 13 episodes and each one has an informative story. The story revolves around a little shop where a little girl brings in a thing (an item that is indeterminate at the beginning of each tale but forms the basis for the episode), utters some magic words that wake up her cloth cat and the other animals in the shop, each of whom is a great character. Bagpuss the old cloth cat (with a beautiful mellifluous voice), the rag doll, the toad, the magical mice and not forgetting Professor Yaffle- a wooden woodpecker who does patronise the other animals and is occasionally caught out. Each of them is a character we know from life and all talk to the subject matter intelligently and even weave in some small tales of morality. Only the BBC could produce something of this quality. Priceless and not surpassed since. Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: I am in love with this show! from United Kingdom 17 July 2010 This is yet another show I loved as a kid, and yet another that has stood the test of time for me. It is surreal, nostalgic and wonderfully simple, and for its time it has top notch production values. And I loved the quirky music, the simple yet delightful story lines, the beautiful introduction to each episode with the narration and the image of Emily closing her shop and the lovely humour. Not to mention the endearing characters such as that cuddly Bagpuss, the mice(who my sisters and I love to imitate), Gabriel the Toad, Professor Yaffle and Madelleine the Rag Doll, and the mellow, soothing tone of Oliver Postgate's(the narrator behind The Clangers, which is every bit as delightful) voice. In conclusion, I love this show, it really takes me back and still delights me in every way. 10/10 Bethany Cox Was the above review useful to you?

h2g2 - 'Bagpuss' - the TV Series - Edited Entry 13 Conversations Children have rarely been treated so well since the Golden Age of UK television programmes that were created in the 1970s . Handcrafted efforts that convey quality with the desire to enthrall small minds, these programmes still manage to achieve this aim; fixing bright eyes to the television screen. Bagpuss was a children's programme on British television in the 1970s that ran for only 13 episodes, but those episodes have been repeated countless times and have found channels through media and merchandising beyond the original. The quaint series deserves attention for its entertaining characters, captivating concept and the strange effects ageing has had on it. The Premise Each episode starts and ends with the same sepia sequence of still pictures telling the viewer the story behind the show. Emily, a young girl with long dark hair and a white dress, owns a shop - Bagpuss and Co - that doesn't actually sell anything. However, stored within the shop are things that Emily has found that other people have lost. These things are then displayed in the window so that the owner, should they walk past, can come in and collect their things.

The guardian, Bagpuss, watches over the shop and, once awakened from his sleep, can repair anything Emily brings to the store. When Bagpuss wakes up, all his friends wake up; the Mice from the Mouse Organ, Madeleine the doll, Gabriel the toad and Professor Yaffle, the woodpecker. Once awake the inhabitants of the shop try to solve the mystery of whatever thing has been left by Emily, telling stories and singing songs to support their theories. However outlandish some of the stories may be, the mystery is always resolved in the end and the repaired and mended object is deposited in the shop window ready for collection should the owner ever pass by. The music which accompanies the stories is very folk-orientated with plenty of penny whistle, banjo and violin playing. The series was written and directed by Oliver Postgate with the pictures and puppets created by Peter and Joan Firmin. The voices are provided by Oliver Postgate, John Faulkner and Sandra Kerr. The Characters The ongoing cast include: Bagpuss is a saggy old cloth cat, with deep blue coloured eyes and alternately pink and pale yellow striped fur. He is by far Emily's favourite toy in the whole world.

Awakened by a magical rhyme recited by Emily, Bagpuss can repair things by using his collection of magical hats. When he thinks about something his thoughts appear like magic. From his stories Bagpuss spent time before his retirement to Emily's shop as an adventurer, sea captain and general globe-trotter. Madeleine, the Rag Doll, is a caring and considerate doll who provides a soft voice of reason whenever anyone gets carried away. Firmly the mother of the shop, she keeps everything in check, especially when the Mice get out of control with their over-vigorous cleaning efforts. She loves the Mice dearly - wishing she had half-a-dozen laps to adequately comfort them - and considers the shop her home. Her full name is Madeleine Remnant. Gabriel, the Toad, is a green felt frog with large, dark amber eyes perched on a blue barrel with a banjo in his hands; he is a very traditional English folk singer type. Gabriel reveals nothing of his dreams or history, though his huge repertoire of tales and songs suggests he has travelled widely, or at least thoroughly studied the folklore of the world. His full name is Gabriel Croaker.

The Mice from the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ, including Charlie Mouse 1 . The six mice are an enthusiastic gathering who do all the cleaning and mending. The mice, apparently, represent a small trade union, as they threatened to strike on one occasion when asked to work without singing. The Mouse Organ has a number of paper rolls that contain music and stories, pictures of which appear on a little screen at the front. When asleep the mice appear as carvings on the front of the organ within small arches. Many of the stories in the series relate to other mice who are known to the shop Mice, and Janey Mouse specifically refers to an Uncle and Aunt, which suggests the Mice belong to a wider family. Professor Yaffle, the Woodpecker, is a grumpy cynic who, when inactive, is a bookend. Questioning and always doubtful, he spends much of his time dampening the enthusiasm of the Mice. At times Yaffle comes across with a very similar attitude to Graham Chapman's Major in Monty Python , proclaiming that everything is just too silly.

While clearly studious in nature he rarely identifies anything Emily brings to the shop, is duped twice, successfully, by the Mice, and is, apparently, unable to count (refer to the episodes 'The Mouse Mill' and 'Flying' qv). Yaffle's most poignant moment is in 'The Ballet Shoe' when he is almost reduced to tears by the dance of a clockwork ballerina, suggesting underneath he has a softer heart. His full name is Augustus Barclay Yaffle. Emily is a benevolent, loving child with long dark hair and an 'olde worlde' dress, she was the owner of the Bagpuss shop and seemed to spend her time filling it with all the lost things in the world. The magic nature of the shop and its content poses the possibility that Emily may be something far more than just a girl. Emily was, in fact, the daughter of Peter Firmin. The Episodes There were, in total, 13 episodes with different lost objects to repair: 'Ship in a Bottle' - the thing is a murky bottle filled with broken wood and fabric, which is revealed to be a ship in a bottle repaired by the magic of Bagpuss.

The episode includes an illustrated story about how mermaids once assisted Bagpuss when he was captain of a ship and includes several pictures of their naked bosoms - perhaps of doubtful political correctness in the 21st Century. 'The Owls of Athens' - the object is a dirty piece of rag, which is almost ruined by the over-enthusiastic cleaning of the Mice until Madeleine stops them. A story about the wise Owls of Athens is told and how they were robbed of their fine singing voices. Gabriel claims that the rag was a cover for a cushion for the Bony King of Nowhere, who had it made because his marble throne made his bottom cold. The rag is repaired into an entirely serviceable cushion cover. 'The Frog Princess' - the thing is bits and pieces of metal, the function of which Professor Yaffle is unable to deduce. Madeleine reveals that they are the remains of the jewels of a water princess - while Gabriel manages to weave a frog into the tale. The poor princess is required to marry by law, but averts the inevitable with a quest to find her crown. A frog catches the crown thinking that it's a fly and the princess insists she must marry him.

However, the frog doesn't want to and instead relieves the princess from her duties by turning her into a lady frog! 'The Ballet Shoe' - the object is a single, dirty old shoe 'that you couldn't wear because you'd have to hop everywhere'. The Mice proclaim that you could live in it, upon which point Madeleine tells of the old woman that lived in a shoe. Yaffle, however, points out that the old woman lived in a boot. The Mice and Gabriel then sing about two mice who use the shoe as a boat on a quest to find cheese, but ultimately Madeleine points out that it is the shoe of a prima ballerina. The Mice then drag out a clockwork ballerina which they set to dancing, leaving a dumb-founded and emotional Professor Yaffle close to tears by the object's beauty. 'The Hamish' - the object is a soggy-looking, dirty bag with legs made from tartan cloth. Bagpuss uses a tartan thinking cap to think Scottish thoughts, imagining a small, soft Hamish - a kind of lonely and shy mole that lived in dark and damp places.

The Hamish was first discovered by the famous Tavish McTavish, the second worst bagpipe player in Scotland - the worst being his long lost brother, Hamish McTavish. Madeleine finally reveals that it's a pin-cushion without any pins, which the Mice provide. 'The Wise Man' - the objects are broken bits and pieces of ceramic-like things that the Mice manage to fix. At first, they only fix half, a turtle, leading to a song about Caribbean turtles. However, upon fixing the other end they find a Chinese wise man - the Wise Man of Ling-Po. Then follows the tale of the Wise Man and why the people of Ling-Po stopped making turtle soup. 'The Elephant' - the object in question is a tatty, straw, pink elephant with no ears. Madeleine and Gabriel exclaim that such an elephant could not fly, unlike other pink elephants. A song about ears leads to, among others, a lark, a snail and a crocodile doing rather intriguing Spock impressions. In the end the pink elephant is cleaned and gifted, by the Mice, with a hat that has flappy ear straps.

'The Mouse Mill' - the focal point is a box with a front door. 'Who would live in a box like that?', Yaffle queries in an early Loyd Grossman 2 impression. The Mice proclaim it the residence of a mouse miller and show how it makes chocolate biscuits 3 from breadcrumbs and butter beans. Yaffle reveals the process to be a fraud, but by the time he has finished, Bagpuss is falling asleep so the Mouse Mill is moved into the shop window. This is the first instance of an unsatisfactory Bagpuss story resolution! 'The Giant' - the object is another heap of broken bits of things - 'A statue of something', Yaffle deduces. Charlie Mouse claims it's a big, big, giant, giant - something Yaffle scoffs at as the statue is only three or four times as tall as the mouse and not much bigger than the woodpecker. Bagpuss tells a tale about a giant who wanted to be smaller as being big caused too much trouble, and so was aided by a magician in becoming the smallest giant in the world. Gabriel and Madeleine then go on to follow Yaffle's complaints with a song about how size is just a matter of personal perspective.

Very deep. 'The Old Man's Beard' - the object is a mix up of twigs, sprigs and twisted bits with fluff. Bagpuss identifies the fluff as 'Old Man's Beard' and sets about telling the story of King Frederick XXIX, King of the Carpet Country, who saved the economy of his kingdom when he accidentally wove his beard into a carpet. The carpets sold, but other old men grew their beards and could not sell the hair for carpets - so they left them in the trees and hedges where they had been drying. Yaffle says the stuff is nothing more than Clematis citalba, a common climbing plant. However, the story has transformed the other bits and pieces into a loom which Madeleine and Gabriel sing a song about. Charlie Mouse demonstrates his knowledge of weaving by becoming a living shuttle - and creates a mouse bed on the loom before falling asleep on it. 'The Fiddle' - the object is an iron bucket with a hole in the bottom - 'a rusty old, dusty old, Irish bucket', says Yaffle mysteriously. Smoke issues from the hole and Gabriel explains it must be the home of a leprechaun.

Bagpuss agrees and, upon hearing fiddle music, says it's Seamus O'Hoolihan. Bagpuss met the leprechaun in Ireland, some time before, and Seamus explained about his crock of gold - along with a story. Bagpuss denied interest in the treasure to which Seamus was so pleased he offered to send him his magical fiddle on a visit some time. Under the bucket Charlie Mouse finds the fiddle and sets about playing - though he has never actually played before. Madeleine sings a tale about another strange stereotypical Irish figure, a cheery countryman whose personal possessions are all made from natural things. Then, exhausted by the music and singing, everyone falls asleep. Of note is the fact that another mouse introduces the Mouse Organ while Charlie Mouse is playing the fiddle. 'Flying' - the object is a basket with things in it. A tiny twig broom leads to a song, by Madeleine and Gabriel, about the old woman that brushes the cobwebs out of the sky. The woman flew up beyond the Moon, so Janey Mouse mentions her Uncle Henry - a church mouse - who attempted to travel to the Sun.

He did this - with he wife Aida - to scrape some of the gold off its surface with a teaspoon. Janey Mouse explains when their trip failed they came upon a cathedral mouse who told them the Sun was in fact made of fire and lay 93 million miles away. Yaffle says both tales are impossible so refers to a real air traveller from a book called Pratt's Aeronautics. Apparently, Yaffle cannot count as he asks for the green book third from his bookend, but the mice retrieve the book and it sits fourth along. The Mice dupe Yaffle by flying the basket using a fishing rod - scoring another hit against the cynical woodpecker. In the end the basket is displayed in case an old woman should need it to clean the cobwebs from the sky. 'Uncle Feedle' - the object is a piece of cloth, thin with markings on it. Charlie Mouse identifies it as a rag house for a rag doll and Bagpuss concurs the cloth can be used as a thinking hat. The tale of Uncle Feedle follows, a rag doll in a summery rag land, who, while wanting for nothing decided he wanted a house.

He made one from cloth and silk, but it would not stand up. When other rag dolls suggested cotton wool, this proved ideal, but meant Feedle could not get inside. So, he turned it inside out, enjoyed the benefits of his rag house, especially his new rag bed, and lived happily thereafter. Gabriel, Madeleine and the Mice sing a song about homes, including a reference to Jenny Mouse. Madeleine mends the rag home and the Mice fill it with cotton wool. Then the rag home is displayed in the window, should a homeless rag doll pass by. The episode is notable for the idea that Feedle lives on a diet of cotton wool cabbages and corduroy carrots. In all honesty some of the later episodes lost the sparkle of the earlier ones, with increasingly dubious items to focus the story-telling upon - like the chocolate biscuit making Mouse Mill that ended up putting Bagpuss to sleep. Items, like the basket full of things from 'Flying', end up being something fanciful rather than vaguely useful and it becomes a matter of telling tenuously linked stories rather than creating a believable theme. Professor Yaffle would no doubt describe the later episodes as 'fiddlesticks' and 'nonsense'.

Of course, younger viewers are less likely to be concerned by this bit of late series padding. The Present The series was created in 1974, but has been repeated endlessly ever since to the delight of more than one generation of children. Now the series has been released on video and a new age of Bagpuss viewers can see the episodes again and again. At the same time, with fresh interest, the great merchandising engine of this age has kicked into gear offering beanie dolls, pencil cases, folders, books and annuals. There is life in the saggy old cat yet, falling apart at the seams or not. Bagpuss and the other dolls actually still exist and remain in the hands of the co-creator of the series, Peter Firmin. 1 The only frequently named member of the Mouse Organ in the series, addressed several times directly by the other characters, the youngest, and the most vocal of the group. The other mice are: Jenny (mentioned in the episode 'Uncle Feedle'), Janey (mentioned in the episode 'Flying'), Lizzie, Eddie, Willy.

2 Loyd Grossman is an American journalist who appears on UK TV and his famous, among other things, for presenting a show called Through the Keyhole which looked at celebrities' houses, the panel having to guess whose house it is. He has an over-accentuated and nasal Bostonian accent. 3 Current theories suggest that the biscuit used may have been a Viscount, a chocolate coated mint and crumbly biscuit treat. Bagpuss Bagpuss 1 9 7 4 (UK) 13 x 20 minute episodes "Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, Old fat furry cat-puss, Wake up, and look at this thing that I bring, Wake up, be bright, be golden and light, Bagpuss, oh hear what I sing" Bagpuss - which first aired on 12 February 1974 - was written and narrated by Oliver Postgate, who along with Peter Firmin and their company, Small Films, was responsible for many classic British children's TV shows' including The Clangers , Noggin The Nog and Ivor The Engine .

The Bagpuss stories were set in Victorian England in a shop owned by a girl called Emily (played by Firmin's daughter). She would bring various items into the shop that she had discovered, with the object of repairing them and returning them to their rightful owner. She was assisted by Bagpuss, a fat pink and white striped cloth cat, who would spring to life at the sound of Emily's voice. Bagpuss was in turn assisted by Professor Yaffle, a carved wooden bookend in the shape of a woodpecker (pictured at left), Madeline, a motherly rag doll, Gabriel a banjo-playing toad, and the mice of the Mechanical Mouse Organ. "Bagpuss gave a big yawn, and settled down to sleep. And when Bagpuss goes to sleep, all his friends go to sleep too. The mice are ornaments on the Mouse Organ, Gabriel and Madeleine are just dolls." "And Professor Yaffle is just a carved wooden bookend in the shape of a woodpecker. " "Even Bagpuss himself, once he is asleep, is just an old, saggy cloth cat; baggy and a bit loose at the seams.

But Emily loved him" Despite only appearing in 13 brief episodes, Bagpuss was voted Britain's favourite children's TV show in a 1999 poll, leading to 100 lines of merchandise and a comfortable retirement for all concerned. Narrator

Question: 'Professor Yaffle', a wooden woodpecker, featured in which children's TV series?
Answer: 'BAGPUSS'